


Oversharing

by fairlyflutters



Category: Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Holo-Jack, Trans Jack, Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys, canon typical assholeness, noncon trans reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairlyflutters/pseuds/fairlyflutters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sharing a head can make it difficult to keep some things a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oversharing

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for Jack being an ass about Rhys's top surgery scars.
> 
> This has essentially no plot but I might write some Rhys/Jack in the future that features trans Jack and Rhys. This was just a test for how well I can get their personalities. Let me know how I did?
> 
> Also, I am a trans afab agender person. I cannot claim to understand trans men and what they experience 100% but I can relate to some things as I am trans and afab. Apologies for things that you see as entirely wrong as I am going by my own experiences.
> 
> EDIT: Dear anyone who is like "Jack can't be trans because Angel is his daughter!!" You are making me lose my mind. Listen to me, please. Borderlands takes place hundreds of years into the future. Interplanetary travel is trivial. There are e-weapons and AI and a shit ton of tech that doesn't exist now. There's fucking Sirens!!! Magical alien bullshit!! If your suspension of disbelief can survive through that but when someone says "this character is trans" you are like "but bio children" and can't grasp that maybe hundreds of years into the future that isn't a problem, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Please don't waste my time.

Leaning against the wall of the rumbling caravan, Rhys eyed the screen separating him from the rest of the car, his eyes darting to the pile of clothes on the stool. The uneven motions of the vehicle resulting in his head bumping against the metal wall. He looks down at his clothes, bloodstained, sweaty, and dirty. While considered heavy duty back on Helios, they were in no way made with the reality of Pandora in mind.

He stood up, walking the two steps to the stool and looking at the old clothes Fiona had tossed at him. She’d smiled, telling him to change, uttering a sarcastic ‘welcome to Pandora’ and muttering something about it not being up to his standards. A long black jacket, an off white shirt that had seen better days with noticeable stains around the wrists and collar, and brown pants. He picked the shirt up, stepping in front of the reflective piece of metal hanging on the wall, comparing it to himself to gauge the fit. Even like this, his Hyperion clothes grimy and dark, he could see a difference. Something subtle, like Pandora was already clawing into him, bringing out something he’d never thought could exist in him.

He laughed slightly at his thoughts, glancing around the room to ensure that he was alone. Just conversation from the other part of the caravan. More importantly, the now-familiar sound of static and the flash of blue was absent. He took in a deep breath, pushing aside his anxiety, forcing himself to ignore his pounding heart. He slipped off his vest and, after a glance around for an appropriate place and finding none, tossed it into the corner. His button-up joined it, a dusty, bloodstained mess of what it used to be. He stood in front of the mirror, and grinned, a familiar but long unfelt sense of euphoria filling him. His anxieties slipped his mind, replaced with an excited giddiness at his own reflection. Some would probably accuse him of vanity, he thought, but they just didn’t know. That was the way he liked it.

“Oh boy, kiddo, what are those? Two body mods not enough for you?” a familiarly grating voice said, ending Rhys’s euphoria as suddenly as it came. Jack became visible in the mirror, grinning face looking at the scars prominent against the pale skin of Rhys’ chest.

“It’s none of your business.” Rhys snapped, quickly pulling the shirt given to him on, shimmying out of his pants, pointedly looking away from the hologram.

“Ah hey don’t be like that kid. I’m just curious!” Jack laughed, sliding into Rhys’ field of view.

“Be curious about something else!” Rhys hissed, unable to stop himself from glancing in the direction of the front of the caravan, where the hum of conversation had quieted conspicuously since his outburst. Guilt pooled in his chest as he remembered that none of them knew about this. About Jack.

“Nuh uh, sweetheart. I just wanna know! Hey, how about this? If you tell me, I’ll tell you a secret about me!”

That piqued Rhys’ interest. As much as having Jack in his head was turning out to be more of a pain than he’d thought, he had hero worshipped the man for years. The thought of information no one knew about him was almost too good to pass up. Jack grinned when he saw the look that crossed Rhys’ face.

“What do you want to know, exactly?” Rhys asked finally, choosing his words carefully.

Jack shrugged, looking intently at Rhys’ chest. “Anything. Just what’s up with it.”

Rhys nodded and looked at the mirror thoughtfully, sitting down on the stool and rubbing his flesh hand through his hair. “Well, there’s not much up with it. I’m a guy. It took longer than usual for others to figure it out, so I, uh, helped them out with that.” At that, Jack started laughing. Deep laughs.

“What?” Rhys asked, a slight whine entering his voice. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m, oh god, I’m sorry kiddo, it’s just,” Jack stopped talking as another laugh bubbled out of

his throat. “With the amount of bitching you did about it, I expected it to be something extreme. Like, like, oh, I don’t know, you survived a thresher bursting through your chest or something wild like that.”

“Fine! Okay! I get it, it’s not that big a deal. Now what’s your secret?”

“Oh that. Yeah. Same.” Jack said, leaning against the wall as much as a hologram can.

“Same?”

“Yeah, same. Of course, mine aren’t so shoddy. The laser surgery was good. Trust me, I looked hot before but now? I mean, check me out!” the hologram gestured at himself, grinning at Rhys. “You’ve really got to stop taking yourself so seriously, Rhysie.”

Rhys just stared at him, eyes wide with shock. Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

“This is a bit hypocritical of you, isn’t it?”

“Oh! Uh, sorry? I just never expected,” Rhys trailed off, shaking his head.

“Oh well then, thank god I’m still full of surprises even when I’m stuck with you,” Jack muttered sarcastically. “This really isn’t that big of a deal, cupcake. Stop sweating over it.”

“I’ve never told anyone before.” Rhys muttered, looking away. There was a stunned silence.

“Are you serious?” Jack asked finally, more incredulous than mocking. “Like, I’m the first one you’ve ever told?” Rhys nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “Not even the buff nerd?”

“Yes! Not even him!” Rhys snapped. “What do you think ‘I’ve never told anyone before’ means, Jack? But why does nobody know that you’re trans? I mean, maybe people do know? Why didn’t I know?”

“It wasn’t important. Who cares about the gender of the person trying to save this planet, right?”

“Uh, I guess?”

“Don’t worry, Rhysie, you’ll get it one day. But first we’ve got to get me back in control. Then I’ll get you the best surgery money can buy and get that mess on your chest fixed up. Sound good, kid?”

“Yes. Yes it does.”


End file.
